Emma Raducanu's Wimbledon opponent left with egg on her face after press conference
Emma Raducanu stunned world No. 9 Maria Sakkari at Wimbledon.
Maria Sakkari was left red-faced when her warning to Emma Raducanu backfired.
The world No. 9 used her pre-match press conference to remind Raducanu that she was facing a top-10 player ahead of their third-round Wimbledon clash.
But that didn’t bother the Brit, who needed 92 minutes to pull off the upset and beat Sakkari 6-2 6-3.
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The 21-year-old now has a 2-0 record against the Greek star after beating her in the US Open semi-final en route to her historic title victory three years ago.
Raducanu also lost only five games in that 2021 meeting, coming through 6-1 6-4. And Sakkari was hoping to settle the score in a long-awaited rematch three years later.
Ahead of the match, the 28-year-old was asked what she made of the opportunity to face a British player on their home turf. But she brushed it off to remind Raducanu that she was the top player with experience on the biggest stages.
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“I think the opportunity is for both. She's also playing a top-10 player. Let's not forget that,” Sakkari stated. “She's an unbelievable player. She's very talented. She's very promising. Even after winning a Grand Slam, she's still very young.
“Obviously, she's going to be the favorite because she'll be playing [at] home. If anything, that's normal. But I'm excited. It's another challenge. That's why we play tennis. That's what we play for. It's going to be pretty exciting. I'm pumped.”
The world No. 9 also shut down suggestions that it would be a big occasion. “It's a third-round match,” she said. “I've never played on Centre, so it's going to be amazing. I've played in big courts. I played on Arthur Ashe. I played in Indian Wells, which is the second biggest court.
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“Obviously, here it's different because of the Royal Box and everything and the people that come to watch you. I don't feel like it's something new for me. I've been a top-10 player for the last three years or even more, so I've played in big courts. It's not like I'm just coming into this and it's my first time.”
But Sakkari’s top-10 comments came back to haunt her as Raducanu knew exactly how to deal with her game. The world No. 135 saved all seven break points she faced on Friday night while the Greek player hit 31 unforced errors across both sets.
Before last week, Raducanu had never beaten a top-10 opponent as Sakkari was ranked at No. 18 when they met in Flushing Meadows. But she now has two wins over the elite players, also defeating No. 5 Jessica Pegula in Eastbourne. And Sakkari became her latest victim as Raducanu reached the second week of a Major for the first time since winning the 2021 US Open as a qualifier.